flu
Ltffl.-
VOL. XVIII.
SALEM, OREGON, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 188(.
NO. 33.
OREGON PIONEER HISTORY.
SKETCHE3 OF EAM.Y DAYS. ---MEN AN.
TIMES IN TUE FORTIES
I1Y.8. A CLAIIKE
Cjpyrlght applleJ far. All tljhti roiorvcJ.
MUMOnit XXXIV. , i
IN THE 1IEAHT OF TUB ANDES.
Whon within n fow miles of Gorgonn
thrco of lis took n path tlicy snid led to
that place, but it led us nway into tlio
mountains, in among nntivo woods mul
natural recesses that bewildered us.
They kept on for nillcsyand nt last camo
to u nativo hut and bribed ono of tho
inmntcs to pilot us to Gorgonn. They
know tho niuuo Gorgonn mul could sco
bow mnny dollnni wo ottered beforo wo
showed thorn. Wo felt n littlo queer
nbout being miles nwny from nny right
rond high up in tho Andes and with
only nntivo people to depend on, but
tlioy provod kind and honest, only thoy
wanted too much monoy for tho littlo
thoy could do for us.- Our guido
took us through romnntic wnlks, over
gront hills and into delicious dales
whoro tropicnl fruits hung from groat,
branching trees. Towards ovoning wo
reached tho town Gorgonn, that was the
bond of tho Chngrcs navigation. Wo
enmo in upon n fandango, tho great
Spanish ntnusomont. Thoy woro dressed
in fnutastio costume, dnncing on tho
villngo swnrd to tho thrum of guitars,
tho drumming of n tnmbourino mul tho
clattor of castanets. Tho scono wns
inviting; tho dusky holies and benux
wero cxtrcmoly polito and used graphic
gestures ns nets of courtesy.
W0I18T TIt.WEI.INQ 01' AM..
At Gorgonn wo hired six animals to
tako ourselves nnd our plundor across to
Panama, only thirty miles. Wo thought
it would bo nn easy, two-day's journoy,
nnd tho journoy or voyage up tho
Chagrcs hnd occuplod two tlnyH. Wo
thought to make tho passngo of tho
isthmus in four days. Our muleteer
wns nn oily-tongued scamp who didn't
half pack our stufT, and only cared to
get bis hundred dollars for tho uso of
tbo horses hired by our company. "Wo
wero doing n foolish thing, taking
things nlong on speculation, or rnthor,
my companion did. That passiigo over
tho Control American Andos was n
tiling to mnko a memory of and novor
forgot. Pictures of thnt long five days
spent trying to get thoso wales and
ponies out of ono mudholo only to
flounder into nnotbor, como to mo under
nil circumstnncoj, nnd fairly tako pos
session of mo at unexpected times and
seasons. Wo saw lifo on tho isthmus
during tho rainy season, and mado fitful
travel by night sometimes, as woll as by
day. Ono by ono tho mule-drivers and
oven tho owners of tho beasts dosertod
them, nnd tit Inst tbo beasts themselves
refused to carry their loads. Wo left
tho loading by tho bodies of tho ani
mals, and whon all of tbo six but ono
hnd failed us wo loaded him with tho
most vnluablo of tho plunder, nnd ono
pulling the h.iltor nnd tho other holding
by tho tail, nnd lashing him with n
bnuh, wo entered tho gates nnd
traversed tho streets of tho nneiont city
of Panama and sought its bost hotel
Saddle mnlos had becomo beasts of
bunion, nnd nil had failed but this one,
and ho couldn't full, becauso no human
ellbrt could get good work out of him.
PANAMA IN 1850.
Centuries beforo that timo Spanish
invaders had mado a grand highway
across tho Isthmus, or else it was ono of
tho highways mado in tho timos of tho
Incas. Within a few miles of Panama
wo camo upon tho remains of a mag
nificent, paved thoroughfare nnd fol
lowed it into tho anciont city. It was
mado of solid blocks of stone, and
though somewhat dilapidated during
the centurios it had seen service, it
showed that immense labor had been
dono tbcro in tho rcmoto pnst. If tho
topic nnd timo allowed, it would bo
interesting to spin tho adventures of
that short journoy into eomo length,
but wo can only "touch nnd go" on tho
Isthmus.
Pnnnnm shows Spanish power in deca
dence. It ceased to bo Spain's province
long ago, but it is nothing if not Span
ish. It is hardly possiblo to beliovo that
this city, built for Castilian glory cen
turies ago, has so degenerated, lint tbo
Panama of that era is across tho hay, n
ruined city, whoso towers nro fallen nnd
whoso battlements so crumbled thnt im
mense forest trees have tbeir roots
nmong them, and their tall nnd spread
ing branches cover tho city that wns
onco tho glory of Castile. Tho present
city is mcmornblo for its cathedral roof
cemented with shell of pearl and its
mnny indications of tho grand times of
old. Wo hired roonm that onco had
been palatial and mado ourselves at
homo and cooked our meals where Span
ish dames and cavaliers have eaten
theirs. Wo roamed tho mouldy buttle
monts of tho sea wall nnd took noto of
tbo famous cannon nges ago dis
mountedthat lay thoro dulled by timo,
but not rusted, because enough of silver
was in tho oroo mnko thorn imperials
ablo from tho rust of ordinary time. It
was thou tho rainy season and thcro
would comn flashed of fierceness that
this latitude cannot comprehend, nnd
penis of such thundor as "Heaven's
nrtlllcry" ennnot surpasi, nnd then
would como such n flood nnd downpour
of rain ns would luivonstonishod Noah's
nrk. Wcoks passed to n month nnd wo
wero over two months nwny fiom Now
York nnd anchored in expensive idleness
at Panama. Wo did various things nnd
mndo part of tho changing American
colony, but it was growing tircsomo nnd
unhoalthy, too. Somo wo know bad
died and othors wero ill.
.?27fi I'OIt A DECK I'ASSAOK.
So whon my partner ono day enmo
rushing in with tho uowh thnt tho two
tickots bo waved in air would tnko us
speedily to San Francisco. Wo made
tho welkin ring in unison, though thoy
wero only deck tickets on tho misornblo
old stcamtub Isthmus.
This old thing callod tho Isthmus bad
bcou bought for n aong by n set of
shnrpers of tho worst class in Now York,
nnd Oliver Chnrlick, ono of tho villain
ous ownors was on board us supercargo.
It is surprising thnt ho should havo
trusted himself upon her. Tho thing
had been ro-christonod tho Isthmus for
this trip, nnd nftcr somo years was
rovamped, nnd ns tho Northerner wont
down in or oil' Pugot sound, nnd mnny
good nion nnd womon found n grnvo in
bor. Among theso wns Iiookwell, tho
famous horso tamer and trainer, mul his
beautiful nnd excellent wife, two pooplo
of grent vnluo to the world. Tho bonutl
ful white horso Itockwcll had trained to
do so many womlorftil things was lost
with his master who cducntod him.
Tbo old ship bad arrivod at Panama
and was rofitting, and at tho sot timo
wo wont on board with our things. I
romombor there was, a long lino of
passengers, nnd tho clerk examined
their tickets and sent them to their re
spective quarters. When our turn camo
Capt. Wm. Bakor presented bis pasto
boards. Tho clerk said "All right," and
turned to tbo noxt. Capt. I), said, rather
indignantly, "Plonso tell ns where to
find our berths." "Oh," said tho dork,
"you haven't nny berth, for yours is only
n deck ticket." Tho captain had paid
$550 to win us tho privilege of sleeping
on tho foro deck of tho Isthmus on tbo
voyago from Panama to San Francisco.
LIFE ON DECK HOW WE MADE IT.
When you put an old sea dog, who
has sailed tbo oceans for forty years, on
the sen again, "you may depend on it"
bo won't easily lose bis reckoning or fail
to find one. So with Capt. Baker. Ho
snorted a littlo nt tho privilege of sleep
ing on deck, and turning to mo said ;
"It's luck thnt wo havo hammocks. Wo
can awing thorn In tho rigging it wo
can't do hotter." Ho soon mado friends
with tho captain, who was n gentleman,
which tho supercargo was not. The
mato proved to bo an old friend who
had sailed a brig out of Duttulo, Collard
bis name, nnd wo hnd a friend in him.
llcforo night wo found n vncnnt room in
tho forccastlo, iutonded for tbo ship's
carpenter, but there was no carpontcr.
and wo took possession. Wo woro in
clover nnd on tho way to Oregon, vin
Cnlifornln, noil housed and comfortable.
That voyago wns moniornhlo and lasted
twenty-eight days. Wo put into ltcalajo,
Acnpulco nnd Mazntlnn, and nftcr mnny
dnyu tho old thing was successfully
steorcd into San Francisco bay. As wo
enmo out of tho bolow deck I saw n box
of cigars that belonged to tho mato and
clork, who, I suspect, wero doing a littlo
smuggling in cigars. Meeting tbo clerk
on deck I told him ono of IiIh packages
was bolow. Said bo: "You tnko it
ashoro and kcop it." It was a present
of 1000 cigars. I took it on my ghoul
dor nnd went by nil tho customs officials
with it nnd no ono said u word.
KEEl'INO EVEN WITH Till: HUl'KUCAUOO.
When wo stoppod at llcnltijo wo
bought n not full of limes, because
limes nro very excellent to provont
scurvy. This net of fruit bung in the
rigging, nnd ono day Air. Supercargo
wantod to know who owned them. I
told him "Wo do." Then bo wanted to
know who gnvo us permission to bring
troight on board, nnd how much wo ex
pectod to pny to hnvo tbom enrriod.
When I made Homo iiulitt'orcnt reply,
rather contemptuous in fact, ho sworo
that ho would confiscate them as contra
hand. Thcro was no lovo for Chnrlick
in our part of tho ship. Tbo crowd of
forward passengers gathored round to
soo his meanness manifested, and I bad
no doubt thoy would stand by mo in
caso ho tried to impose. Ho thought so
too, for ho Htruok n now idoa. Ho said
that us next day was tbo Fourth of
July ho wanted the limes to make a
barrel of rum punch io trout tho pnsaen
gors and crow. So I met him half way
and agreed to let him have them for
250, what thoy cost us, and suro
enough tho passengers had their punch,
but wo novor got pay for tho limes ox
copt what wo assigned on account with
tho bnr-koopor for clarot sangareos, nnd
us Chnrlick owned tho bar In porson,
wo wero not particular ns to tho amount
of tho bill. Tho Inst I know it wns over
S10. Tho llmos wero !f2.G0.
Thero wero no very wonderful peoplo
on board tho Isthmus, but thoro wns
ono man who figured largely in tbo
world as a prizo fighter. Tom Hyor was
then tho "cock of tho walk," nnd ho was
in tho cabin with his wifo. Hyor him
self was a tal), handsomo, gontlomnnly
fellow, nnd his wifo pleasing and lady
like They didn't fill tho bill to appour
mice, but Tom bad settled tbo hash of
Yankee Sullivan, nnd was very notable
just then. In truth, Tom I Iyer was an
oxcoption in that class nnd better fur
than bis fellow gladiators.
SAN FBANOIKCO IN 1850.
Wo passed up tho California coast in
July, whon tho hills woro brown and tho
highlands of Monterey soomed very
beautiful. It was exciting timos on
deck when tho old steamor finally
pushed tho fog asido and with sunlight
bursting ovor tho scono, went up tho
beautiful bay of San Francisco. Hun
dreds of vessels woro anchored in thoso
waters, silont, motionless, dosortod, with
all their crows gono to tho initios and no
cargoes to load for any other port. Thoro
thoy lay, und in timo rotted, for all the
world camo to California in thoso times,
and fow left for nny other country.
As I changed my clothes to go ashoro
at San Francisco an Irishman who
shared my room saw my gold watch, n
present from my mother, in my berth,
and Blipped away with it. Thoro was
100 gono and I valuod it for tbo glver'a
snko. On tho doak I sold my box of
cigars for $!10 und wns that much ahead.
It shows how littlo monoy wn3 valuod
when my friend tho clerk gnvo .fflO nwny
rnthor than look nftcr tbo box thnt was
worth thnt much. Wo wont nshoro In
Snn Frnncisco. Kvorywhoro wns soon
tho bustlo nnd push mul projecting of
tho poriod nnd tho country. Wo
stopped with n down cn9t son captain,
who kept a hotel on Clark's point. A
two story bouse, with bunks arranged in
tho upper story and n rough dining
room and sitting room; board $17 a
week. Thcro was n great deal of spec
ulation in thoso timos, nnd I looked
nround without being aatisficd. My
idea wns u now country. I bad no
strength to mtno ; 1 was not n Iradcr ;
I could kcop books, and n good oppor
tunity would soon bo ready for mo in n
blinking houso to which my Chagres
cousin gave mo n warm lotter. 1
thought it over nnd one day in August
wo both, Capt. linker and myself, took
passage for tho Columbia rivor. Wo
had sailed up tho west coast that Span
ish voyngors exploded In 1512, and woro
now going up tho north shore whoro
Juan do Fucn hhUI ho voyngod u day or
ho Inter. Maybe ho did and n much
bigger maybe that ho did not,
TEN I'KTUIIEH OV HAN 111ANCI8C0 1850.
Everything wuh Ntruined and unnat
ural. Tho cost of ovorylhing was mi
rcusouublo nnd uncortnin. Pooplo camo
and went, mid tho solllshncss of mini
shone in nil its bud supremacy. I know
Capt, Wnkoman, who commanded tho
Now World, on tho Sacriiiiionto, and
wont with him to Sacramento city ono
trip. I had u lotter to I). 0. Mills, who
was then running n sort of bank in
Sacramento. Tho letter was from ono
of tho proprietors, who thought I might
find business with Mills, but ho wns do
ing littlo but knock his heels together,
apparently, and hnd no uso for any ono
to help him. .Since then ho has rather
gono ahead in tho world, and tho "Mills
lluildlng" in Now York, ton stories
high, shows how bo mado tho world pay
him. It was tedious loitering about
San Francisco, and it was iiroIush to
listen to nil tbo talk ono beard. I hnd
friends thoro, ono of whom wanted mo
to go to Humboldt bay. Thcro wero
visionary tahcnius in plenty, but tbo
most Holid and serious country I could
boar of was Oregon. My intention was
to look at California on my way thero,
nnd that wns oxnctly what wo did.
San Francisco in 1850 was in u chryH
ulis Htuto, passing from canvas inio
wood in somo parts, and taking substan
tial form iu othors. It Is hardly possi
blo to form an idea of tbo place nnd its
surroundings as it thou was. Tho
world all mot on tho plaza of evenings,
to tho gilded huIooiih and gambling
bolls that flourished there in marvelous
glory. Thero were, iu all thoso places,
exquisite music, und thoy woro waited
upon by sirens who wero lost to sbnino.
Tho rattlo of dico, sbufllo of curds, clink
of coin nnd tho look of eagerness or de
spair that showed iu fucoa around tho
gaming tables wero nil tho timo thoro,
und uIwayH delicious music drowned
tho cursos of thoso who lost. It was in
deed a study to bo in Sun Francisco, a
mere "looker on in Vonlco," iu 1850,
when mankind teemed given over to bis
passions and his lifo lucked the social
inlluoucos that only can preserve its
purity. All I saw ropelled mo. I found
n fow friends thoro and was blessed with
somo ready monoy, but it was melting
away fast, and thoro wai not enough of
it to oporuto with in any considerable
way. Oregon bad been my thought be
foro gold was discovered, and it is not
strange that wo mado our sojourn iu
California briof, und took tbo first op
portunity to reach tho Columbia rivor.
OUT Or THE OOI.DEN OATE.
Ono day wo found that a small brig
was "up" for tho Columbia river, und
tho passugo was placed ut tho rouson-
nblo figuro of $70. Wo removed our
traps to her cabin, and when she left
port wo budo good by to tbo golden
state. Wo sailed down tho bay, past
tbo anchored nnd rotting fleet, that wns
in such Btrnugo contrast with tho busy
and growing town, nnd leaving Alcatraz
behind us wo passed out of tho Goldon
Gato into tho great oconn. Tho G. W.
Kendall was commanded by n very
clever man, and tbo mato was also n
good follow. Tbcro is a gront dcnl in
bnving jgood officers to your ship, ns
they can do so much to make or mar
your happiness. Tho olllccrs wero all
right, but tbo passengers wero not par
ticularly attractive or important.
Tho moat tedious voyago I remember
iu fully u score of them, on different
seas nnd oceans, was thnt long and dis
mal sailing to and fro on tbo wido Pa
cific in tho early autumn of 1S50 on tho
brig W. O. Kendall, trying to tench Or
egon. Tho sea was dismal enough with
unchanging bluo and a sloady bond
wind. Tho ship was Hinall nnd "ill-convenient,"
mid tho paBsengerri woro not
sprightly nnd attractive Mnny of them
wero nctunlly disagreeable. Thoro wero
not oven tho birds nnd tho fishes thnt
liven troplo sous with their presence At
Inst wo mndo a long "foot tack" nnd
fetched in to
NEAU THE COI.UMIIIA ltlVEIt.
I romembor thnt wo saw from oil' tbo
harbor entrance a whito cloud that wo
understood to Ik) Mt. Hood. It un
doubtedly was Hood or St. Helens. Wo
looked at it with especial interest, ns
ono looks at some grand, supornnl
thing. Oil' tho southern coast Shasta
looks seaward ovor intervening ranges.
Thoro can bo nothing more awosomo
than n grent mountain whoso summit
shines with everlasting snows. Littlo I
thought then thnt I would bo writing of
thnt snowy spot that guo us a cold
welcome from tho sen whon more than
n third of n contury should pass nwny.
Kagerly wo wntchod every landmark,
und questioned tho pilot concerning Or
egon. It was a country unknown to
us, and as wo had no doubt that it
would bo our life-time homo, it wns not
Htrar.go wo oagorly sought information.
Astoria was hh rough n spot as tho con
tinent could well afibrd. I romombor
thnt tho then old sign of Leonard it
Grcon was displayed on a building near
tho wharf. Thcro was tho uppor town
and tho lower, known iu aboriginal days
as "Fort Georgo." Thoro was not much
to ontlco tho eye or please tho imagina
tion nt Astoria in 1850. Wo took n
turn on tho hillside nnd traced tho
stockade of tho old Astor fort by tho
onrth mound thnt showed where it was
planted, At Sail Francisco I purchased
a fow hundred dollars' worth of sugar,
cofl'eo nnd other ictus, und found no trou
ble to sell ofl' my stock thoro ut 50 por
cent, advance. Monoy didn't exactly
lay around looso or grow on tho trees,
but thero was no lack of it, mul oven
tbo Chinook savage would fiimblo
around under his raggod blanket and
haul out a $20 piece if ho hud nothing
smaller.
Ol'It 1'IHHT CHINOOK SALMON.
At Astoria wo laid in a good supply of
salt salmon mid pottitocs und feasted
like lords. It wns Chinook salmon, and
tho potatoes wero newly dug. Wo bad
been for throe weeks feeding on "suit
horso" and sea biscuit, and Sundays
had puddings that wero heavy enough
to sink tho man who uto them if ho hap
pened to fall overboard, Wo found tho
salt bill mou bettor than anything of tho
kind and quito reveled in tho prospect
of eating the fresh fish in duo season.
Making a short stay at Astoria wo took
on beard u river pilot named Phillips
nnd wont on up tho Great Kivor of tho
West as far us tho northwest wind could
carry us against tbo current. Thoro
wero no tugboats to tow us against tho
stream, so wo waited for wind mid tido
that wait for nobody, Phillips, our
pilot, was u young man w ho know tho
rivor well mul followed tho business
"" ICoiicluJiJon RTyhtb pig.,